The Phil Kids and Phil Youth Choirs are taught singing and musicianship using Zoltan Kodály’s approach to music education, developed in Hungary during the mid-twentieth century.

Singing is a joyful and sociable activity that feeds both spirit and mind. The singing voice is nature's built-in musical instrument - we all have one - and it is the Kodály concept that every child has the right to learn how to express themselves musically through singing.

Singing gives direct access to music without the technical difficulties of an instrument and is therefore the fastest way to learn music and develop musicianship skills.

The Kodály approach to music education is child centred and taught in a logical, sequential manner. There is no ‘method’, more a series of guidelines. The tools used are relative solfa, rhythm names and handsigns.

Kodály concepts break down into five elements:

• Rhythmic Solfa

• Stick notation

• Pitch Solfa

• Handsigns

• Handstave

Children learn very naturally through play. It’s a non-threatening and highly comfortable way for them to absorb basic elements that a teacher can then draw upon to teach musical ideas at a later stage. The emphasis is on fun, making sure the children pick up the melodies correctly, sing together and absorb the elements that make a good choral performance, including diction and ensemble.

Through unaccompanied singing and active participation in games and exercises the children acquire the skills essential to all musicians. They develop musical memory, inner hearing, true intonation and harmonic hearing.

AWARD SCHEME

Phil Kids uses a unique award scheme developed by the National Youth Choir of Scotland to chart the progress of the members of the choir and give them goals to work towards. The award scheme is divided into Bronze, Silver and Gold. Members will be tested informally on pitching, sound production, solo singing and simple theory. Award badges and certificates are presented on completion of each relevant stage.

The results speak - or maybe sing - for themselves. Come along to a Phil Kids concert to see how exceptionally successful the Kodály approach is in practice.